Metropolitan Commission of Sewers
The Metropolitan Commission of Sewers was an ad hoc body formed in 1849 to bring London's sewerage and drainage under the control of a single public body. Formation The Commission was formed by the Metropolitan Commission of Sewers Act 1848 (11 & 12 Vict. c. 112), coming into existence on 1 January 1849. It replaced eight existing boards of commissioners: *Tower Hamlets Commissioners for Sewers Archives http://www.aim25.ac.uk/cgi-bin/vcdf/detail?coll_id=12861&inst_id=118 *St Katharine's Commissioners for Sewers Archives http://www.aim25.ac.uk/cats/118/12983.htm *Poplar and Blackwall Commissioners for Sewers Archives http://search.lma.gov.uk/scripts/mwimain.dll/144/LMA_OPAC/web_detail/REFD+PCS?SESSIONSEARCH *Holborn and Finsbury Commissioners for Sewers Archives http://search.lma.gov.uk/scripts/mwimain.dll/144/LMA_OPAC/web_detail/REFD+HFCS?SESSIONSEARCH *Commissioners for Sewers for Westminster and part of Middlesex Archives http://search.lma.gov.uk/scripts/mwimain.dll/144/LMA_OPAC/web_detail/REFD+WCS?SESSIONSEARCH *Surrey and Kent Commissioners for Sewers http://search.lma.gov.uk/scripts/mwimain.dll/144/LMA_OPAC/web_detail/REFD+SKCS?SESSIONSEARCH *Greenwich Commissioners for Sewers http://search.lma.gov.uk/scripts/mwimain.dll/144/LMA_OPAC/web_detail/REFD+GCS?SESSIONSEARCH *Commissioners for Regent's Park The creation of a single commission was the logical culmination of a process begun in 1842, when parliament had passed legislation appointing the same 23 persons to be the commissioners for each of the eight boards. The term of office of the commissioners was two years unless a new commission was issued. The Commission was based in 1 Greek Street - which was occupied for a while by the successor body, the Metropolitan Board of Works. Inter alia it employed Joseph Bazalgette Membership First Commission (1849) The first commission was appointed on 1 January 1849, and under the 1848 legislation was to consist of the Lord Mayor of London for the time being, four members elected by the Corporation of London with the remainder of the commissioners appointed by the Crown. Commissioners (43): *The Earl of Carlisle *Lord Ashley MP *Viscount Ebrington MP *Hon. Frederick Byng *Sir James Clark, Bt *Sir Edward North Buxton MP *Sir John Fox Burgoyne *Sir Henry de la Beche *Very Rev. Dean William Buckland *Neil Arnott *Thomas Southwood Smith *Joseph Hume MP *Robert Aglionby Slaney MP *John Walter MP *George Biddell Airy *Edwin Chadwick *John Leslie1794-1897, a member of the Vestry of St George Hanover Square *William John Broderip *Robert Hutton1784-1870, sometime secretary of the Geological Society *Richard Lambert Jones *John BullarSouthampton born barrister, 1807-67. Biography here: *John Bidwell *Joseph Hodgson *Captain James Vetch *Captain Robert Kearsley Dawson *William Robert Grove *Thomas Banfield *Edward Lawes *Alexander Bain *Thomas Hawes *Cuthbert William Johnson *Rev. William Stone *Rev. Morgan Cowie *Rev. Edward Murray City Members: *The Lord Mayor for the time being *Alderman William Lawrence *Walter Anderson Pocock *Edward Harrison *Thomas Norris Second Commission (1849 - 1851) A second commission was issued on 8 October 1849. This reduced the number of commissioners appointed by the Crown from forty-three to thirteen. Commissioners *Viscount Ebrington MP *Major General Sir John Fox Burgoyne *Sir Henry de la Beche *Robert Stephenson MP *Samuel Morton Peto MP *Lieutenant-Colonel Alderson *Philip Hardwick *Captain James Vetch *James Meadows Rendel *Captain Henry Drury Harness *Thomas Hawes *Captain Robert Kearsley Dawson *Edward Lawes City Members: *The Lord Mayor for the time being *Alderman William Lawrence *Walter Anderson Pocock *Edward Harrison *Henry Lowman Taylor Third Commission (1851 - 1852) A third commission was appointed on 6 October 1851. Legislation passed earlier in the year gave the government the power to appoint a chairman and deputy chairman as well as commissioners. Commissioners (12) *Chairman: Edward Lawes *Deputy Chairman: Samuel Morton Peto MP *Sir John Fox Burgoyne *Thomas Allason *William Cubitt (engineer) *Captain Robert Kearsley Dawson *Captain Henry Drury Harness *Robert Stephenson MP *Captain James Vetch *Richard Jebb *James Meadows Rendel *Thomas Hawes City Members: *The Lord Mayor for the time being *Alderman William Lawrence *Walter Anderson Pocock *Edward Harrison *Henry Lowman Taylor Fourth Commission (1852 - 1854) Commissioners (12) *Chairman: Richard Jebb *Sir John Fox Burgoyne *Major Robert Kearsley Dawson *Captain James Vetch *Sir Charles Fellows *George Baker *Thomas F Gibson *Lewis Dunbar Brodie Gordon *John Hawkshaw *William Hosking *Henry A Hunt *Laurence Redhead *George Spencer Smith *Thomas Hawes City Members: *The Lord Mayor for the time being *Alderman William Lawrence *Walter Anderson Pocock *Edward Harrison *Henry Lowman Taylor Fifth Commission (1854 - 1856) The final commission was appointed on 22 November 1854. The chairman and seven commissioners were appointed by the Crown, one was appointed jointly by the vestries of the parishes of Chelsea and Kensington, and one was appointed by the vestries in each of seven parliamentary boroughs. Commissioners *Chairman: Richard Jebb *Cuthbert William Johnson *Joseph Hodgson *Walter Augustus Lewis *Thomas Hawes *Laurence Redhead *George Spencer Smith *Frederick Oldfield Ward *John Villiers Shelley, Bt. MP (Westminster) *Augustin Sayer (Marylebone) *James Pascall (Finsbury) *George Offor (Tower Hamlets) *William Evans (Lambeth) *John Thwaites (Southwark) *John Wade (Greenwich) *Francis Chalmers (Chelsea and Kensington) City Members: *The Lord Mayor for the time being *Alderman William Lawrence *Walter Anderson Pocock *Edward Harrison *Henry Lowman Taylor Headquarters and offices Chief Office 1 Greek Street, Soho, hours 10-4. District Offices These varied over the course of the MCS's existence, but included: *City of London *Holborn and Finsbury *Tower Hamlets *Poplar and Blackwall *Surrey and Kent, and Greenwich. *Bayswater *Brompton *Richmond Abolition In 1856 the commission was replaced by the Metropolitan Board of Works, which made use of the Greek Street offices, and a number of its staff, most notably Joseph Bazalgette. References * External links *The National Archives page is http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/a2a/records.aspx?cat=074-mcs&cid=0#0 - contains reference to the MCS's archives' locations etc. *The AIM25 page is http://www.aim25.ac.uk/cgi-bin/vcdf/detail?coll_id=12845&inst_id=118 - the archives are at the London Metropolitan Archives *Report on the John Snow website http://johnsnow.matrix.msu.edu/work.php?id=15-78-7E category:London government